In Morumbi, a suburb of São Paulo, you will find a glass house that speaks to the imagination. This ‘Casa de Vidro’ or Glass House was designed by the Italian-Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992).
With this palace on pillars, Lina Bo Bardi had a glass tree house in mind. She wanted to design a house that offered shelter from the elements whilst also being aesthetically pleasing. Together with her husband Pietro Maria Bardi she lived here until the end of her life.
Brazilian modernism
Lina Bo Bardi is probably the most famous architect you have never heard of. Her name may not be as well known as Oscar Niemeyer, but her uncompromising vision on architecture is legendary and has a marked Brazilian modernism. She was also very ahead of her time. She thought about architecture with a minimal ecological footprint and the integration of architecture in the environment.
The interior of the house is still almost as it used to be. The interior was completely designed by the architect herself, from furniture down to even the doorknobs.
The Bowl Chair
Bo Bardi was multi-talented. Besides being an architect, she was also a scenographer, writer and furniture designer. The most famous piece of furniture that Bo Bardi designed especially for her Casa de Vidro was the Bowl Chair. Last year, the Italian furniture company Arper released a reworked version of this iconic piece.
‘Casa de Vidro’ and its garden can still be visited.
Images (c) Jules Villbrandt
